KaDeidra262

@@Bigleap35 I did the OOT bags.

@@Soon2bMrsClark We did semi-private. My guest were seated on the "terrace" which is pretty much the front entrance to the restaurant. ..lol. @@Bigleap35 Under the Sea is at Memories...The ambiance is amazing but the crab cakes are horrible! I only paid for the location fee and one I got there Claribel suggested the event be more private and moved it to the diamond club beach bar. I would ask Laura if you can decide on the open bar Later. It makes no sense you are paying for both. ... When you will probably change the location once you get there. Btw...I didn't submit my final payment until one week prior to the event. @@Soon2bMrsClark habla espanol? If so good. .. Because while they do speak English they don't comprehend well. I used the beach gazebo for my ceremony. Take a list. Work out the small details once you get there. Oh and which room did you book? There was a lot of check-in issues for my guest. They're "ocean view" rooms are not directly facing the beach. You have to lean forward and turn your head a bit to view the ocean.

@@Soon2bMrsClark....About 5K...sounds like you are doing exactly what I did....just some words of advice...Punta Cana is HOT! I thought I was going to wear my gown the entire evening however after our vows, the sweat was running down my legs...lol. Dinner was outdoors as well and although the sun went down it was still pretty humid. Everyone changed after dinner and sweated some more at the outdoor dance reception. The lighting was amazing and it was right in between the two pools right off of the beach. The platform was a bit tricky though. I can't count the number of times I kept tripping. ...it's kind of like a broad walk...and difficult to dance on. @@Soon2bMrsClark....About 5K...sounds like you are doing exactly what I did....just some words of advice...Punta Cana is HOT! I thought I was going to wear my gown the entire evening however after our vows, the sweat was running down my legs...lol. Dinner was outdoors as well and although the sun went down it was still pretty humid. Everyone changed after dinner and sweated some more at the outdoor dance reception. The lighting was amazing and it was right in between the two pools right off of the beach. The platform was a bit tricky though. I can't count the number of times I kept tripping. ...it's kind of like a broad walk...and difficult to dance on. I would recommend Coming down a week before the wedding to scope out the scene and locations. I got there two days before and it wasn't enough time.

@@Soon2bMrsClark we did the legal stuff here in the states. ..Claribel performed our symbolic ceremony. ..I didn't even have to show my legal documents. I had to pay for to extra guest that ended up coming at the last minute. .. my guest count went from 61 to 63. Everything else was included. Claribel used the package I selected as a guideline and made suggestions as to what she thought would look and work better. Other things I argued with Laura about was the dinner reception. ..We ate at Opa....I was so nervous to host my reception at a geek restaurant. ..But hands down one of the best restaurants on the resort. My cake. ..I added a guava and raspberry flavor that my guest raved about and it was Decorated with fresh flowers. ..no charge.

@@Soon2bMrsClark we did the legal stuff here in the states. ..Claribel performed our symbolic ceremony. ..I didn't even have to show my legal documents. I had to pay for to extra guest that ended up coming at the last minute. .. my guest count went from 61 to 63. Everything else was included. Claribel used the package I selected as a guideline and made suggestions as to what she thought would look and work better.

@@Bigleap35 I hosted a welcome party for my guests and one of the things I had argued with Laura about for weeks was the location and price of the event. To cut the cost I preferred that it would be hosted near one of the bars, and my guest would just have to walk to get their drinks so that way I would not have to pay for the alcohol and even sent pictures to Laura of the different bar locations and where the event could possibly be hosted. She said that I would either have to pay $300 location fee if I chose to host an event without alcohol or I would have to pay like $20 per person for the event which included the alcohol. I chose to pay the $300 location and have my guest walk to the nearest bar. Once I met with Claribel she suggested a more private event at the Diamond Beach Bar. So I paid $300 and hosted a welcome party on the beach and had the entire bar with 2 bar tenders to serve my guest.

@@Soon2bMrsClark I used the onsite photographers. I was very displeased with their service. .. But I can accept responsibility as well. I was supposed to meet with them the day before the wedding however things got pretty hectic with family, fun, and booze, so I never got a chance to meet with them. I had expected them to take photos while I got dressed but to my dismay they did not. The photographer took great shots during the ceremony and afterwards. He did not take any photos of the reception. I only utilized him for the hour included in the package because another family member was also taking shots. The unedited images were given to me on a disc which I will give to a friend to edit.

@@Bigleap35...I just got back from my wedding on May 3...many of the details I fought with Laura over. .. ended up being changed, or accommodated once I got to sit down with Caribel.

I chose the Royalton because the only do one wedding per day.

I have 55 people traveling and I am at about $4000 for the wedding and reception costs only. My package includes 1 hr of photography. I am considering adding videography. My reception is semi-private so I only had to pay $20 extra per person.

@@Mrsoats Thanks so much!

@@Mrsoats...Could you provide feedback for the Royalton?

@@Potter8...i have over 60 guests, and the only extras i got was the extra tier on my cake and half price for the children that will be attending. I am hosting a Welcome party ($15 pp). I opted to host this in close proximity to a bar, that way I wouldnt have to pay $25pp for open bar for my guests. I havent paid for my package yet because I'm still trying to negotiate some things. I am not pleased with what they have had to offer at this point.

Could someone please forward to me? Kadeidra262wedding@@gmail.com. ... Thanks

How did you travel with your bags?

Is the SIM card thing really worth the hassle?

Do you think it's possible to have these shipped to the resort instead?

How did you all travel with the bags? Or food you have them shipped prior to your arrival?

Bags look great.

Thank you so much @@ShawnaV. This is like a breath of fresh air for many I'm sure. Again congratulations newlywed!!! One more question...@@ShawnaV do you have to meet the guest stay requirement of 5 rooms for 7 days to get the free package? I'm asking because I have about 50 people coming all staying various amounts of time but none quite 7 days.

@@ShawnaV please post details. I'm trying to decide if I need to host a private reception. Also, do you have Caribel's contact information? I've asked Laura for the info how she is so scripted! Sometimes I feel like talking to her is like talking to a brick wall. @@Potter8 are you using a private photographer or are you using one of their vendors? @@ShawnaV what did you think of your reception? How many guest did you have? I was hoping the reception was more than dinner. ..Do you have pictures? Could you email them to kadeidra262wedding@@gmail.com? I would really appreciate it.

Yes, I email her all the time and she responds usually within 24-hours. Is anyone having a reception...separate from the semi-private dinner that's included in the package? I would like to party/dance during the reception to celebrate my day.....but I'm afraid the semi-private dinner won't provide the opportunity.

@@Potter8...yes she mentioned it to me because I questioned her about having to pay for a dinner and open bar at an all-inclusive resort. I guess I should have done more research before I booked. I will keep you posted if the prices drop. I do agree with you all, this process is becoming frustrating and I'm not happy at all about the prices being "subject to change."

Hi everyone, My date is May 3 and like many of you just finding out about the hidden costs. My group right now is about 50 people with the majority coming from Philadelphia. I used Destination Weddings to coordinate the travel and I really don't have anything nice to say about them right now. I have also been dealing with Laura. I haven't decided which package I'll go with yet mostly because the the new packages are more expensive and you get less. She emailed me yesterday that the price per person outside of the package of 20 people will be $20 pp. That covers the chair, cake, and sparkling wine toast. She did also say the menu prices were gonna drop as well. I'm glad to finally find a community of Royalton Brides. Congratulations to everyone.